Nissan Leaf Stretches Out for Limo Duties in Tennessee

It's safe to say that Nissan is quickly becoming the company of "That's crazy, but I'll still raise you something more outrageous."First there was the 545-horsepower Nissan Juke-R that's now headed to production. Then Nissan followed up with the Juke Box, an 18,000-watt mobile DJ booth, designed for bumping the night away with "sick" beats and all sorts of other words kids use these days. Last week, we showed you a Nissan Leaf police car being implemented in Portugal.Now, Nissan North America is following with a third, slightly more sensible one-off: A Nissan Leaf limo. You, too, can finally get whisked away in the world's most environmentally sensible, yet somewhat limited, chariot of luxury.Granted to the Embassy suites hotel in Franklin, Tennessee, just miles from Nissan's U.S. headquarters, the Nissan Leaf limo will be designated for VIP service duty in the area—and probably taking some Nissan exec's kids to prom at some point. It shares its unmodified 24 kilowatt-hour battery with with the standard Leaf. But it's been moved back, allowing for better weight distribution and more space for passengers. This now eight-passenger version of America's favorite electric car weighs some 400 pounds more than the standard car. So you can bet its range will be a little more limited than the production version's EPA-rated 76 miles.Said one Krystal Serrano, a hotel guest getting a ride in the Leaf limo, "It feels so smooth. You can't even really hear the engine running, but it wasn't like being in a golf cart either. It was like being in a limousine." Perhaps because it doesn't have an engine, and perhaps because it is a limo. But that's just a hunch.Now swathed in fine woods and leathers and adorned with mirrors inside, the Nissan Leaf limo carries all the amenities you'd expect a modern luxury transport. It even has champagne basins for when it comes time to make sure your best friend doesn't remember his bachelor party.Unlike the Juke-R, Nissan has no plans to put it into production. It's merely a display of what green technology can do for you. But as Embassy shuttle driver Phillip Huckelba says, "I think it will catch on once the word is out there. It always takes one to get something started."Source: Nissan

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